Once a year, thousands of people gather from all walks of life, to sit in a park together to watch…read morefilms made by 16 talented filmmakers.... this event is free, its fun and it's called Tropfest. This unique cultural event is the brainchild of John Polson. He created the festival which is now the largest film festival in the world! Basically filmmakers are given a key word which they have to incorporate into a 7 minute film - the top 16 get screened on the night and the filmmakers win awesome prizes and accolades... The films start in the evening and the program runs for about 3 hours... it's super fun and a wonderful way to spend the night.... Now there can be a fifty thousand people in the park - so may I offer a few suggestions to get the most out of the expereince. 1. Get public transport 2, Get there early if you want a good seat 3, Go with friends 4. Bring a picnic blanket 5. Bring clothes for changing weather incl for rain 6. Bring your own food because it's expensive 7. Bring a sense of adventure... Tropfest is one of my favourite times of the year and its a wonderful way to bring people together..... FUN FUN FUN...

As a film maker, I'm not much of a fan of Tropfest, but as a spectator and lover of entertainment,…read morethis is one of those must-go-to events of the year. Heading into its 20th year, the event has now spread to the US, Asia and the Middle East, having started as a one short-film showing in the Tropicana Café in Darlinghurst. It now attracts around 150,000 to The Domain in the middle of February (next years festival will take place over 3 days, but the main showing takes place on the Sunday), so be sure to get there early to make sure you can get yourself a decent patch of grass. It's free to enter and if you get there early enough you'll also get to see the Mobile Screenfest and Junior Tropfest entries. The films have to be under 7 minutes long, so if you've got a poor concentration span, you should be ok with these. The 16 films are shown over around 3 hours, so it's a full evenings entertainment.

Really good experience you will have for spending your afternoon at Leichhardt…read more So many food stall, from ribs, bangers, burgers, gelato and coffee. Oh, that's right, I forget the juices for adult, wine and alcohol! They are promoting Peroni, since this us Italian village festival. Bangers are nice, you guys can check from social media #the fancy banger. Gelato are nice too $4.50 for the single scoop. The beef ribs are cook to perfection, fall of the bones. Sauce is deep and rich so delicate. Come and check them out, the are finishing at 5 pm this afternoon.

It's on now, till end of January! Live music in Hyde park, in the domain, djs around the city,…read moredance events, roller skating, etc. Check the website. Super vibrant!

Everybody seemed to have a good time at Taste of Sydney. This is my view from a casual dinner…read morelooking for a memorable experience. First observation is that, it's more of an alcohol festival than an eating one. Almost half of is wine and liquor with one quarter coconut water and lastly 25% of stuff that you can actually eat. Value My biggest gripe is the overall value of the offering. I don't expect freebies, but these restaurants must have made a killing. Charging a range from 150% to 300% or more of their restaurant menu, it is certainly better to book a table and eat in the comfort of their respective restaurants. Easy to be critical of them, without knowing the festival fees but their is no value in the food they sell. The following do leave a sour after-taste: * Fast food version of their usual standard in terms of quality * Premium price for fast food version - usual stuff was at least $12/crowns and the really interesting dishes that I wanted to try were $20+/crowns for minuscule portions and/or sold out anyways. * Expensive entry fee * No seating * Long queues for anything good Quality of restaurants Unknown chef or more a cook from Rojo Rocket who demos how to make... guacamole in a two minute session, seriously? (probably just a bad session, but still it put me off). What next? How to fold a burrito? Quality of participating restaurants has gone been declining over the last four years, sure some have one or two so called hats but most of them are unknowns that should not be commending those prices with the exposure they are getting. Payment Crowns? non-transparent way for making attendees waste and overspend. No easy way to check your balance and knowing how much is really being deducted. Conclusion These are neither the best restaurants nor best chefs in Sydney. What kind of business model is this? where entry is at least $20-30 and on top of that, charge a premium for the fast food versions of the restaurant menu? If you do decide go next year to, set aside at least $150 per person and it still might not be satisfying. End of the day, I will not be in a hurry to visit any of these restaurants. On the other hand, you will probably have a blast if you have no expectations and just going drinking, chilling with some mates. However if you were looking for a culinary experience this is the wrong event for you. @thesydneynoob

What a great evening we had at Taste of Sydney…read more It was a lovely warm night, perfect for wandering stall to stall checking out what everyone had on offer. The guide was very useful, letting you know what the main restaurants had available and even highlighting their featured dish. Off we went! We made a beeline for 4Fourteen to try the suckling pig. Disappointed? Most certainly not. A large helping of slow cooked pork and pickled veg, delicious. And a porky perfect way to start the night. We also tried Nels famous ham chips with pea purée, bbq lamb and South African sausage, delicious saffron pasta and beef shin ragu from Otto, pork belly (more crackling please!) and charred brussel sprouts. Water, we need water. No refill points onsite. That's a shame, and unlike Sydney. Thank goodness for OH! giving out sugary sparkling water! Hurrah! We are saved. After spending just $50 to eat food from some great restaurants and also consuming various tasters jams, chutneys, crackers, wines and other drinks, I headed home very full and happy. The Taste of Sydney for me was definitely the taste of pork. Yum. Thanks for the tickets Yelp!

Glebe Street Fair is a one-day annual event in Glebe that brings the immediate and surrounding…read morecommunities together. Glebe Point Road comes alive with music, a live stage, food stalls, craft markets, entertainers and miscellaneous market stalls. You will find everything at a typical weekend market but on a much grander scale.There is something here for everyone. Glebe Street Fair is very kid friendly with many activities on offer to keep the younger generation entertained - a great day of family fun. Being in November, it is also the perfect place to pick up some Christmas gifts. And when you're done, why not reward yourself with a drink at one of the nearby pubs. Ah, what a perfect Sunday!

On November 20th, Glebe Point Road was closed down to traffic for some odd reason. I had no idea…read morewhat for. Was it construction? Did something explode? No, Paul, you're ridiculous (I say to myself in retrospect), it's to host the Glebe Street Fair! Taking place once per annum, it's an exciting event where dozens of vendors set up stalls in the middle of the street. There's over a kilometer of different stalls with ethnic food, handmade crafts, and nifty activities. I, along with hundreds of other people, descended into the street to check out the buzz. The fair has entertainment all day long, including attractions for kids, live music, and street performances. I was so intrigued by the amount of stalls here that sold practical and quirky things; I ended up making friends with a hammock salesman. Who'd have guessed? The performance I was most looking forward to was the unicyclist riding a super tall unicycle. Unfortunately, it started belting rain in the late afternoon, so I ran back home, disappointed once again at Mother Nature.

Vivid Sydney is here! The first weekend is over, but fear not, you still have 2 more weeks of night…read morelights to go. I must say I'm really impressed by organization of the event. Yes, it may be a little tedious with all the one way traffic, but it definitely helps with dealing with the huge crowds. For the best view of the Sydney opera house, head over to the overseas passenger terminal. You get a clear view of the sails, and if you fancy, thee are several bars and restaurants at terminal for you to watch in comfort. The feeling is quite magical when the lights go on at 6pm sharp. The short animation of the gum nut babies is really adorable even for someone like me who have never heard of them before. The show is screened on the building right beside the ferry terminal (31 Alfred Street). Lots of kids and adults alike sit in front of the building for some heart felt nostalgia. And it's their 100th year anniversary. There's a little booth selling some of their merchandise closer to their ferry terminal. The Royal Botanical Gardens spared no effort in participating in Vivid Sydney. They have a one way walk filled with various exhibits that starts next to the Sydney opera house entrance and ends at the exit next to the Cahill Walk. It felt a little lengthy, but there were some interesting exhibits and you can see many bats interacting with the lights. There are one or two food and drinks areas, and they definitely check your ID to make sure you're of drinking age. I'm also really excited about some talks that are held in association with Vivid Sydney, check out their app or websites for more details. Some are free and others come at a lofty price but all for very exciting workshops. Sadly I won't be around for ones that I'm keen on. Now for the food recommendations: #mateburger has the most amazing Lechon fries. Crispy pork skin, tender delicious pork, fries, mayonnaise, spring onions. Definitely my go to for only $15 The Brussels waffles are amazing from the yellow waffle bus. Nice crisp outside and nice chewy inside. I would avoid the bomb ($14.50) though, the ice cream was meh, and the caramel sauce plus Belgian chocolate and ice cream was overkill for the waffle. I definitely would stop at just Nutella and strawberries next time. Mulled wine ($9) at the booth outside Sydney Harbour - don't bother. The wine was way too acidic, and not enough fruits and sweetness in it. The only comfort was that it was warm. Come dressed warm, it gets quite cold from the winds. The trains are only letting off passengers at the circular quay station. The ferries are a nice way to come into the harbour and see some lights, but there's a Long line and people tend to panic even though the are plenty of seats on the ferry. If you're heading to the MCA side, I would suggest coming by the ferry or train at circular quay, or from the Sydney Harbour bridge. If you're heading to the Sydney opera house or Botanic Gardens, you have to go around in a loop from the MCA side. Cut through the foodcourt with Messina if the doors open. Have fun and enjoy beautiful Sydney!

Putting aside the headache it is to try and drive to this area and find parking during this crazy…read moreevent, Vivid was pretty damn cool. We went on the Starship Sydney, which despite the amount of people on board, still had plenty of space for great views of all lights. I'm especially impressed how Sydney coordinates all the different displays, especially the bridge which baffles my mind. Overall, it was just an awesome experience for a reasonable price. And loved having a couple drinks during the cruise as well.

Okay, I haven't been to the festival (and didn't know anything about it until I typed Wisteria…read moreGardens into Yelp) but I have been to the gardens and they are absolutely amazing, especially in spring (which is when I came here). I suspect that the gardens are a part of Westmead Hospital, namely because I had to wander through parts of the hospital to get here, but there is also a convenient entrance from Parramatta Park which allows access here as well. I would suggest coming in spring because that is when all the flowers are in bloom and it provides a very lovely and tranquil place to while away some time.

Parramatta Lanes was a great experience with plenty of food options to satisfy anyone. We did get…read morelost a couple of times, but I do think they did the best that could be done with the streets and locations. Different themes in different locations, but also a mix of cuisines all around the place. Some popular names were there such as Butter, KOI and also a few food trucks like Happy as Larry and Eat Art Truck. Plenty to see and listen to as well, with a magical hanging garden and jazz depending on where you go. Definitely worth checking out when they're back on again.

Aussie Music Festival! This was such an amazing time! Heaps…read moreof fun! The Newtown area took over one of their local parks, set up music stages and food trucks and rocked out! I absolutely had a great time! For a mere 5 bucks, you get a full day of entertainment and fun in the sun! There were a huge sampling of food trucks, beer booths, and beverage carts. They sold stuff that was much fancier than the regular fair fare. There were merchant booths selling everything from raunchy patches to Nepalese jewelry to boomerangs. They had lots of political activist groups educating the public on the dangers of fracking, the police, groups advocating for looser pub laws, and field hockey! You can even take classes on mulching and recycling! Restrooms were plentiful and clean. Drinking water was supplied for free as well. There was plenty of security and things felt safe. They sold plenty of beer- all locally made in the 'hood! There was a bag check at the gates, but they hardly did a good job of checking. After the festival was over, the party spills out on to the streets where the fun continues! If you're around for this festival, I highly recommend it.

Newtown Festival always seems to fall on the most humid day of November, year after year. Thus, a…read moreday at the festival involves a tonne of cold drinks, plenty of sunscreen (thankfully available from one stall every 50 metres), plenty of sunburn (no matter how you've tried to combat it) and oftena mild case of sunstroke. Plus, you may end up getting rained on at some point. But more often than not, it's worth it. Basically, Newtown festival is a giant market that takes up Newtown's iconic Camperdown Memorial Rest Park. At least 280 stalls stand shoulder to shoulder, selling and promoting everything from food and drinks (both alcoholic and non - I advise sticking to the non alcoholic early in the day to avoid the evil repercussions of the alcohol-heat combo) to skin cancer awareness stands (apt), hula hoop workshops, political activists, face painting, hula hooping, musical instruments, henna tattoos and plumbing services, as well as martial arts demonstrations, live theatre and street art, a writers' area and a huge kids contingent. Weaving your way through all these stalls will take hours - it's a slow and concerted effort making your way down the rows of stalls, each foot being placed carefully so as to not tread on someone elses as the entire population of the markets move as one like a slow motion school of fish. But once you've made your way to the end, you're rewarded with an open green in which to sit and listen to the line-up of local live bands on one of three stages and from experience, these bands are usually pretty good. The festival is free and it's a great way to sample what Newtown stands for whilst supporting the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre. Sunday 13th November 9:30am - 5:30pm